Chapter 621: Secret Realm (I)
Ruyang City lay at the border between the Central Plains and the Southern Barbarian Region. Several years ago, a stable node passage had opened in the part of the Southern Barbarian Region closest to the Central Plains. Because of its existence, an immortal market had sprung up near Ruyang City, and tales of immortal cultivators had gradually become more common among ordinary mortals.
The teahouse buzzed with lively conversation.
"Do you know what I saw today?" a playful young woman in a light pink dress exclaimed excitedly, unable to hide the hint of pride on her face.
"What? Don't tell me an immortal took you in as a disciple?" one of her companions teased with a faint smile.
The playful young woman's excitement immediately faded. "Nothing like that."
Feigning indifference, she said, "Early this morning, while I was out hunting with my third brother, we saw an immortal flying through the sky. That immortal fairy was unbelievably beautiful."
"Immortals aren't exactly rare these days. It's just a pity they always come and go without a trace. You can never find them if you go looking," one of her companions said regretfully.
Ever since the space-time passage had appeared, more and more cultivators had come to Ruyang City, and an increasing number of its residents had witnessed immortal cultivators displaying their miraculous abilities.
"Sister Qiao'er, I heard there are immortals on Yanlai Mountain. Why don't we find some time to try our luck there?" the playful young woman suggested.
Countless stories of seeking immortals and pursuing the Dao circulated throughout Ruyang City. Some were hearsay, while others were fanciful tales invented by idle storytellers. Before long, the desire to seek immortality had taken root in people's hearts.
"No. Things have become increasingly dangerous over the past few years. Terrifying monsters are often spotted deep in the mountains and forests. It's far too risky," said the young woman named Qiao'er, shaking her head as a flicker of fear crossed her eyes.
She had seen those monsters with her own eyes. The opening of the node passage had affected the concentration of demonic qi across a radius of several thousand kilometers. Combined with the few creatures that had escaped from the demon god barrier, demon puppets had become increasingly common in the surrounding area.
Had passing cultivators not routinely eliminated any yao and demon puppets they encountered, together with the ongoing purges carried out by the nearby Demon-Suppressing Army, the region would likely have long since been overrun by demon puppets.
At a table by the window, Lin Zheyu sipped a cup of premium tea while listening to the other patrons enthusiastically discuss all sorts of rumors about cultivators. The feeling was strangely surreal. Just a few years ago, when he had still been an ordinary mortal martial artist, even catching the slightest glimpse of an immortal had been impossible. Yet in only a few short years, the invasion of the demon realm had brought immortals into the open, making their presence known throughout the mortal realm.
"You're here." Lin Zheyu suddenly set down his teacup, turned to his right with a smile, and greeted the newcomer. She was a beautiful young woman, and the moment she entered, the entire teahouse fell silent as everyone's eyes instinctively turned toward her.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, fellow friend," Tu Mingzhen said with a slight nod.
She gestured toward the middle-aged man beside her and introduced him. "This is my third uncle, Tu Yangming."
"I'm Tu Yangming of the Tu Family. Greetings, Fellow Xiao," Tu Yangming said with a cupped-fist salute, his expression calm and unreadable.
He looked like a stern man who rarely smiled. Not a trace of his aura leaked out, making him seem like nothing more than an ordinary middle-aged man. Lin Zheyu had long expected that Tu Mingzhen would bring additional help. They had agreed on this possibility beforehand, so her actions did not violate the rules they had established.
"I'm Xiao Yu of the Martial Alliance. Greetings, fellow friend." Lin Zheyu smiled and nodded, then gestured toward the seats in front of him. "Please, have a seat. Are the two of you the only ones the Tu Family sent?"
"The two of us are enough. That Shamanic Clan Ruin has a cultivation limit. Only cultivators below the Nascent Soul realm can enter. The ruin was likely designed to select an inheritor, and only three people can enter at a time," Tu Mingzhen explained.
While Lin Zheyu had been occupied, Tu Mingzhen had not been idle. She had gathered cultivators from her family whom she trusted and explored the Shamanic Clan Ruin multiple times.
Unfortunately, the Nether Refining Flame she sought lay in an extremely dangerous location. Without the assistance of the two dharma artifacts in Lin Zheyu's possession, there was no way to obtain it. Otherwise, Tu Mingzhen would never have been kind enough to wait until Lin Zheyu was free before making the trip together.
"I see. It seems the two dharma artifacts I possess play a crucial role within that Shamanic Clan Ruin," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.
"To me, they are indeed indispensable. There's an item I want to obtain, and without the help of those two dharma treasures, it's simply impossible to reach it," Tu Mingzhen replied calmly.
"Haha, you're certainly straightforward, fellow friend. Would the two of you like to have lunch here first, or shall we set off immediately?" Lin Zheyu asked unhurriedly.
"Let's leave now," Tu Yangming said calmly. It was the first time he had spoken since arriving.
Tu Yangming was clearly a man of few words. After speaking, he immediately fell silent again. Lin Zheyu paid it little mind. From what he could sense, Tu Yangming was merely a mid-stage Golden Core realm cultivator and posed no threat to him whatsoever.
"Very well." Lin Zheyu smiled and nodded. Rising slowly to his feet, he gave a slight sway before soaring into the air behind Tu Yangming and Tu Mingzhen, vanishing from sight.
"An immortal!"
"Heavens, I actually saw an immortal!"
"What a loss! I should've rushed over and begged to become his disciple!"
The teahouse instantly erupted into a noisy uproar.
After the three departed, a dignified figure emerged silently from the void, watching the direction in which they had disappeared.
***
Three figures streaked across the sky. Tu Yangming and Tu Mingzhen rode atop disc-shaped dharma treasures, flying at tremendous speed. Lin Zheyu walked through the air as though taking a leisurely stroll in a garden, effortlessly keeping pace behind them.
"This man is very strong. If possible, do your best to remain on good terms with him," Tu Yangming transmitted through spiritual sense, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Uncle, can you tell how strong he really is?" Tu Mingzhen asked curiously. She had secretly used a family secret technique to examine Lin Zheyu earlier, yet he had appeared no different from an ordinary person with no cultivation at all.
Tu Yangming shook his head. "I can't."
"Even you can't see through him? It seems this fellow really does have some remarkable tricks," Tu Mingzhen said, surprise flashing across her eyes.
Martial artists were often dismissed as crude because they lacked the dazzling variety of secret techniques available to cultivators. Ever since learning her family's inherited detection technique, Tu Mingzhen had been able to discern the strength of martial artists, even those who had broken three Shackles. Even if she could not fully perceive the strength of those who had broken four or even five Shackles, she could at least gauge them to some extent. Someone like Lin Zheyu, from whom she could discern absolutely nothing, was a first for her.
"There are countless martial artists. It's only natural that a few exceptionally gifted geniuses appear from time to time, so failing to see through one isn't surprising. What astonishes me more is his mastery of spatial laws. It's simply extraordinary. He doesn't seem like someone who has only reached the Shackles realm within the past few years," Tu Yangming said gravely.
No matter how much he accelerated his dharma treasure moments earlier, Lin Zheyu had effortlessly kept up, looking as relaxed as though he were out for a stroll. Such effortless control over the power of rules was something even Tu Yangming could only admire.
"He truly is remarkable," Tu Mingzhen said after a moment of silence, nodding in agreement.
Fortunately, she had chosen to cooperate with Xiao Yu from the very beginning. Had she acted like Tu Yuan and attempted to seize everything by force, she would have stood little chance against Xiao Yu's astonishing command of the spatial laws.
Time passed slowly. The Shamanic Clan Ruin lay deep within a remote mountain wilderness of the Southern Barbarian Region, a place rarely visited by anyone, where both spiritual qi and demonic qi were exceedingly sparse. The three figures sped through the sky before descending into an unremarkable stretch of forest.
Tu Mingzhen pointed ahead and said softly, "This is the place."
At her words, the golden Heavenly Eye within Lin Zheyu's sea of consciousness opened and followed the direction she indicated. Sure enough, he sensed a peculiar fluctuation of energy in the void ahead. It was extraordinarily subtle and well concealed, hidden within another layer of space-time. Had Tu Mingzhen not pointed it out, even with the Heavenly Eye, Lin Zheyu would never have noticed it without a careful search.
"How do we get in?" Lin Zheyu asked.
He suspected that, by using his mastery over the power of the spatial laws to tear open the weak point in the void revealed by the Heavenly Eye, he might be able to force his way inside. However, with Tu Mingzhen and Tu Yangming present, he had no intention of revealing too much of his strength.
"There's something I'm curious about. This place is so well hidden. How did Tu Yuan discover it back when he was only at the Foundation Establishment realm?" Lin Zheyu asked as he examined the void ahead.
"Luck. When Tu Yuan was still weak, he happened to obtain an incomplete Shamanic Clan inheritance. It was an incomplete shamanic pattern. He integrated the shamanic pattern into his earth escape techniques, allowing him to cultivate them to an astonishing level with its power. Back then, while fleeing pursuit by the Nine Nether Sect, he escaped to this place. The shamanic pattern within his body resonated with the surrounding void, which led him to discover it," Tu Mingzhen explained.
As for how Tu Yuan had obtained that incomplete shamanic pattern inheritance, even Tu Mingzhen had no idea. Such an enormous secret was never something he would have shared with anyone.
"So that's how it was!" Understanding dawned on Lin Zheyu's face.
So he had inherited an incomplete shamanic pattern, one that was aligned with the earth element. That explained how Tu Yuan had mastered such formidable earth-escape techniques while still in the Foundation Establishment realm and earned the nickname "Earth Demon Rat". Tu Mingzhen stepped forward and rapidly formed hand seals. A unique fluctuation of spirit power spread outward from her body.